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When one Father Martin Ndegwa of St Teresa Equator Parish Nanyuki held mass at the launch of the Moran Lounge bar and restaurant in town recently, many were up in arms at the perceived impropriety of the whole thing. 

“Something somehow doesn’t feel right with what the good ol’ father did! I mean, blessing a business such as a bar, to me, is akin to doing the same for a casino or a betting company or even ‘worse’ those politicians who every Sunday are contributing money in churches and whose sources are dubious,” said a netizen.

Those supporting the move by the clergyman were defending that a bar is a business like any other, and most people are just hypocrites that frequent clubs on Saturdays and church the following morning.

Sacred vs secular

Sociologist Dickson Ombaka, says some Christians do not forbid consumption of alcohol, with many citing Christ’s first miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding as a sign of approval.

However, he warns, excessive consumption of alcohol may lead to socially and morally reprehensible behaviour.  

“People pray for all kinds of reasons. It is said even a thief embarking on their nefarious mission prays to God for its success, thus a bar owner, who professes Christianity as their faith and wants prayers at the opening of their business is not anything out of the ordinary,” he says.

He adds, “Some Christians would look askance at saying prayers at a bar opening while others may summarily condemn such prayers as demonic.

In the past, it used to be fairly clear what belonged where, but in the contemporary world, however, there is a fading of the line between the sacred and the secular. People cannot make up their minds on where to draw the line.

They, therefore, enter into a bargaining process: if only I can show in some way that I recognise and believe in God, He will discount for any shortcomings in my person or behaviour, whether in the past, the present or the future.

Welcome to postmodernity where the fake is real and the real is fake. In this fading distinction between the sacred and the secular, God’s hand is seen nowhere and everywhere both at the same time” 

Dickson is of the school of thought that religion is liberalised and where there may have been doctrinal clarity for all clergy in the past you now have many interpretations. 

“Whether it is the Church in California that serves alcohol during its services and owns a brewery or the Gabola Church of South Africa that serves beer as part of the liturgy, people are asserting their right to interpret God’s will on their terms. In this postmodern world, the truth is relative and a mere convenience. 

One interpretation of God’s will is as valid as any other or even none at all for that matter. After all, who knows God’s will? 

As such, the belief is that what you pray for is your business and no one else’s. And for anything that you want to pray for there will always be a priest somewhere who will go right along with you. It is the culmination of a bargaining process that will sometimes end up in absurdities,” he explains.

Personal relationship 

Steve Omodecx, a church leader, says this is one of the grey areas the clergy will avoid discussing for fear of being picked on.  

“The truth is that a majority of the great financial support churches get are from secular businesses through tithes, offerings and church projects.

If any pastor wouldn’t receive their offerings, then they shouldn’t pray for their businesses in the first place. See the bible says in Proverbs 13:22 “…but the sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous’,” he argues. 

He insists that there is a distinct difference between a shop and business set up to sell or serve alcohol as its main or only business or as a part of the business (even if it is a substantial part of the business), but this is between the individuals and God. 

“As a servant of God, there must be a balance between the realities of the scripture and the standards of the world. An imbalanced life will always end up in a struggle.

For instance, if I eat at a joint I must pay, I won’t speak in tongues and walk away. I often say we are spiritual beings in a human body living on earth. Therefore, sustenance on earth needs people to work and pay bills and advance their lives,” he says.

On the flip side, Omodecx says working in a hotel that sells alcohol or a joint that sells wine and beer or a gift shop or a supermarket is generally different.

However, he adds, if selling or serving alcohol comes between you and your relationship with God then stop doing it as this relationship is paramount.

“Finally, as a pastor, I am called to bless and not curse, to encourage and advise as per the word of God. As much as I would dedicate that business, I will also advise accordingly.

It’s not any different from a coffin maker who walks to church, pays their tithes, supports God’s work and prays every day for their businesses to thrive and that only means more deaths. Sad, but true. Every business needs God’s blessings.

The underlying word is: Is it good, pleasing and perfect will of God? If we answer that sincerely, then we know what needs to be done,” he says in conclusion.